A hero who wants to help others wants to live a normal life - Chapter 13

Chapter 13   Conclusion of the Mock Battle

“Let’s begin with the exorcism of the evil spirit!”

“What?! Who are you calling an evil spirit when facing such a cute girl!?”

Was Kujou holding back? Even though the arrows of light weren’t moving at the speed of light, they were still far faster than regular arrows. As she dodged them, Inori grumbled in frustration.

However, while she managed to avoid the first two arrows, she couldn’t evade the third. So instead of dodging, she decided to confront it head-on.

“Is this… all you’ve got?!”

After dodging the first two arrows, she forcefully steadied herself and thrust her fist forward. At the moment Inori’s fist clashed with Kujou’s arrow, a sharp metallic sound reverberated through the area.

“I heard about this in class, but I didn’t expect it—it’s just a mass of light, yet it has physical force.”

If Kujou’s arrow were truly made of light, it wouldn’t have been able to clash with Inori’s fist like that. It would have simply dissipated upon impact or passed right through. But it was merely light in appearance; in reality, it was a “Blessing,” a mass of supernatural power. Thus, even though it appeared as light, it possessed physical force. This principle applies to flames or wind as well.

For example, fire. Fire is a concept, a phenomenon of combustion, but flames generated by blessings or skills come with physical force. While it remains “fire” at its core, it is tangible—if thrown as a clump, it can push an opponent back, and as fire, it burns.

The same goes for other phenomena. Even if it’s light, being material, it’s so fast when released that it’s almost impossible to react to.

And it’s because of these blessed powers that we end up fighting monsters. Conventional weapons like bullets or tank shells can’t inflict fatal damage on them. However, blessings or skills can deliver damage far more efficiently than bullets.

Of course, bullets still inflict some damage, but their effectiveness is just too low.

Maybe it’s because monsters themselves are beings born from blessings. Damage inflicted by a similar blessed force is more effective. To be precise, it’s likely damage dealt by someone who possesses powers related to blessings. Even someone like me, who doesn’t have direct attack capabilities, can cause damage with a sword, similar to using a skill.

It’s believed that the proximity to someone with blessing-related power might be a factor, but the exact reason is unknown. What we do know is that people who possess blessings and skills are valuable and considered combat assets.

“We’re just getting started!”

The light arrow that had been contending with Inori’s fist was finally shattered by her. But Kujou wasn’t one to be easily defeated.

The moment Kujou realized that her attack had been intercepted, she was already preparing her next move. As soon as Inori destroyed the arrow of light, another attack was launched.

Inori, attempting to close the distance between herself and Kujou, now found herself facing a massive arrow aimed directly at her.

The arrow, larger than the previous ones, seemed dangerous to take head-on. Realizing this, Inori changed her straight path and began zigzagging, making quick turns to the left and right as she ran.

However, her evasive maneuvers were in vain.

The moment Kujou released her arrow, it burst into fragments and scattered. Yet, instead of flying off into the sky, the fragments changed direction mid-flight, converging back toward Inori from all sides.

A rain of light poured down from the front. To Inori, it was like an appropriate description of the situation unfolding before her eyes.

However, no matter how fantastical the scene may have appeared, it was still an attack, meant to harm her. If only one or two arrows struck, there might not have been a problem. But if all of them hit, even someone like Inori wouldn’t escape injury. Inori understood this all too well.

But she did not dodge.

Inori continued charging forward, without stopping or trying to block the rain of light arrows. She pushed on, letting the arrows strike her body while closing in on Kujou.

“What…!?”

Kujou’s eyes widened in disbelief, and she froze at the impossible sight. After all, who would expect someone to keep advancing while taking a barrage of arrows?

Yet, Kujou’s reaction was an undeniable opening, and Inori seized the moment, putting all her strength into her step and closing in further.

“What will you do now?”

“… I give up.”

As Inori approached, Kujou hastily tried to draw her bowstring, but it was too late. With Inori’s fist thrust right in front of her face, Kujou bit her lip and, after a few seconds, admitted her defeat.

“Sahara-san! Quickly, get some medical help!”

With the end of their battle, both of their blessings were lifted, and the light arrows embedded in Inori shattered and vanished.

However, even though the blessings had disappeared, the injuries sustained during the battle would typically remain. Thus, before the supervising teachers could even react, the “Saint” everyone had been whispering about rushed over to Inori, likely intending to heal her…

“Ah, don’t worry about it. I’m totally fine,” Inori replied in her usual carefree tone, dismissing the Saint’s offer.

“But you’re so injured…!”

“I’m really fine, seriously. My blessing is self-enhancement and self-regeneration. As long as I’m not killed in a single blow, I won’t die. Look.”

As she spoke, she casually lifted the hem of her clothing, showing the Saint where the arrows had struck her.

“Oh, it really is… Wait, why are you showing your skin like that?!”

“Huh? It’s just faster to show you, right?”

“Well, that’s true, but… please, have some modesty! Aren’t you concerned about how you’re presenting yourself?!”

Thank you, Saint, for saying that. But unfortunately, it’s pointless with her. She still has a childlike mentality and probably doesn’t understand something as refined as “modesty.”

However, even with her lack of understanding, Inori seemed to grasp the essence of what the Saint was trying to say and lowered her hem.

Then, she turned back to Kujou, who was looking at her with a frustrated expression over her defeat.

“From now on, let’s make sure we don’t bother each other and get along as classmates.”

It didn’t look like she meant to be friendly at all, but even so, Inori extended her hand towards Kujou for a conciliatory handshake.

“… Yes. I look forward to it.”

Kujou probably had her own thoughts about the situation, but she took Inori’s outstretched hand, and with that, their confrontation came to a tentative resolution.

Of course, reconciliation may only be on the surface; what they’re truly feeling inside is anyone’s guess.

“I won!”

After making peace with Kujou, Inori returned to me as if nothing had happened. Her demeanor was so normal that, if I hadn’t witnessed it myself, I wouldn’t have believed there had been a battle.
Though, while her attitude seemed unchanged, her appearance made it all too clear what had happened.

“Good job. But you didn’t have to take such reckless risks.”

That final barrage of light arrows… Charging headlong into them while getting hit all over was reckless and unnecessary. Inori could have dodged or blocked them, and that’s why I felt the need to scold her a little.

“Even if it was reckless, I knew I would heal, so getting there as quickly as possible was the best option. You never know what might happen if you take too much time.”

“That’s true, but… your clothes are ripped.”

That was the biggest problem with this fight.
Inori had taken arrows all over her body during the battle. Her wounds had likely already healed, but that only applied to her body. Her clothes, however, were not covered by the blessing. As a result, Inori’s outfit was now full of holes.

I was worried about her, and I felt relieved after the battle ended, but I also had to scold her a little—mainly because of her clothes.

“What? …Oh!”

Inori finally realized her situation. She first looked blankly confused, then hurriedly glanced around at herself, flailing her arms and legs in panic. At least she understood that her current state was a problem.

“Go to the nurse’s office. I’m sure they have a spare uniform for emergencies.”

“On it!”

With a sigh, I gave her that suggestion, and she immediately sprinted off without hesitation.

“She’s always in such a rush, huh?”

“Well, that’s just the way she is,” I replied with a chuckle, matching Kiriya’s own smile as he watched our exchange from nearby.

But with this, the trouble had finally come to an end. Now, I could finally enjoy the “normal life” I’ve been longing for.

Or so I thought, until Kujou approached with her entourage, including Hikari Toudou, who was, in a way, the cause of this whole battle.

She wouldn’t start another fight now, would she? What could she possibly want?